Electric-light fixture.



'W; J. CHERRY. I

ELECTRIC LIGHT FIXTURE.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 30, 1912.

Patented Dec.10,1912.

' coLunBm WRAP COHNIASHINCI'ION. D. C.

UNITED STATES PATEN OFFICE.

WILLIAM JOHN CHERRY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

ELECTRIC-LIGHT FIXTURE.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, IVILLIAM JOHN CHERRY, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at New York, borough of Manhattan, county of New York, and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Electric-Light F ixtures, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates generally to gas and electric light fixtures and has particular reference to a device known as a hickey, which ordinarily forms part of the support for such fixtures.

The various forms of the device, in common use, differ in details only, being substantially alike as to main features and consisting of a short tube, screw threaded at opposite ends and provided about centrally of its length with two elongated side openings, diametrically disposed. In the use of the various forms of such a hickey, con siderable difiiculty was experienced in drawing the fixture wires out of the elongated side openings thereof, a hook-like tool being employed for this purpose, which frequently stripped the insulation from the wires and thereby necessitated the re-wirlng of the fixture. In order to overcome this difliculty, improved forms of the old hickey were devised, in which slots were cut, extending from one end to the oppositely disposed side openings therein, permitting the fixture wires, after being run through the hickey, to be spread outward in the slot or slots, thus overcoming the necessity of drawing the wires from the side openings therein by the old method. In splitting the hickey by the formation of slots, extending from one end to the side openings therein, the device was weakened to such an extent that reinforcement was required, and in providing for such reinforcement, detachable parts were employed, both interiorly and exteriorly, of the split end of the hickey, but were found objectionable, owing to their cost, their liability to get lost or misplaced, and the added labor of placing them in position.

As a result of many tests and extended trials of the improved forms of the split and reinforced hickey, a demand has been created for a one-piece device, split for con venience in wiring the fixture, and possessing sufiicient strength to safely support the fixture, and, at the same time, withstand Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed August 30, 1912.

Patented Dec. 10, 1912. Serial No. 717,894.

the pull to which it is subjected at the hands of persons in making repairs and cleaning the fixture. To meet this demand, I have designed a hickey, split at one end for the passage of the fixture wires, and having the split end reduced to form an annular shoulder thereon and threaded for engagement with a tapped socket in an insulating joint, an adjoining member employed under a requirement of the Board of Fire Under writers.

Constructed as above described, when the split and threaded end of the hickey is screwed in the socket, the annular shoulder comes to a bearing against the side of the insulating joint, and serves to give the connection added firmness and strength.

As the diameter of the split and threaded end of the hickey is much smaller than the wire-carrying tube of the fixture, the opposite end thereof is ordinarily enlarged to properly unite with the tube, but no effec-- tive effort appears to have been made to strengthen the intermediate or body portion of the hickey, the greater part of which was cut away in forming the side openings therein. To remedy this defect, I have found that by giving the body of the hickey a frusto-conical form, a double purpose is served, as itthereby becomes at once adapted to the larger diameter of the wire-carrying tube, and, at the same time, opportunity is afforded for employing metal in sufiicient quantity to thicken the wall thereof, and thus give it the required strength to safely support several hundred pounds in excess of the weight of the commonly employed fixtures, which provides an ample margin of safety as against the supported weight and rough handling in cleaning and by repairmen.

A frusto-conical body portion is further particularly adapted to the formation therein of the most desirable form of slot for the passage of the wires from the fixture, the same being approximately T- shaped, with the main stem thereof extending parallel with the length of the hickey. Thus formed, the conical body of the hickey is not appreciably weakened, as the out is made where there is sufficient surrounding metal to withstand removal of the necessary portion to form the T-slot.

A further advantage of the frusto-conical form is that by varying the angle thereof, more or less metal may be provided, as required, to permit the cross cut of the T-slot to be extended to accommodate any number of wires, as will be apparent.

In the accompanying drawings, I have shown a form of hickey suitable for carrying my invention into efiect. It will be understood, however, that I do not limit myself to the details of construction illustrated, as changes may be made therein, without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.

In the drawings: Figure 1 is a. view in elevation, partly in section, showing the hickey in use. Fig. 2 is a side view of the hickey, and Fig. 3 is a sectional view, showing the split end of the hickey secured in the socket of the insulating oint.

Referring now to the drawings, 1 represents a threaded stud or projection, such as is usually provided in the walls of buildings for the attachment and mounting of side-wall lighting fixtures.

2 represents a portion of the fixture or side-wall bracket which is provided interiorly with a wire-carrying tube 3, through which the wires from the electric light bulbs are run for connection with the main circuit wires.

4 represents an insulating joint of a form well known in the art, the same being interposed between the wall stud and the fixture, as required and provided in its outer side with a socket 5, tapped, as indicated at 6, to receive the smaller end of a hickey.

7 represents my improved form of hickey, which is arranged as a connection between the insulating joint and the wire-carrying tube of the fixture, and to the extent of its length, serves as a support for the fixture, being, in effect, a continuation of the wall stud.

As shown, the body 8 of the hickey is given a frusto-conical form and the smaller end 9 thereof is reduced and threaded to enter the socket 5 of the insulating-joint, which is tapped, as above stated, for engagement with the thread. In reducing the smaller end of the hickey, an annular shoulder 10 is formed thereon, which comes to a bearing against the side of the insulating joint, and serves to give the connection greater firmness and strength. The hickey is split, as indicated at 11, from its smaller end throughout a portion of its length for the passage of the fixture wires 12, which are first run through the hickey, then spread outward in the slot to permit the hickey to be screwed in the socket of the insulatingjoint. In splitting the hickey, a T-shaped slot is preferably formed therein, with the main stem running in the direction of the length of the hickey and the right-angle extensions,circumferentially thereof, as shown. Owing to the frustoconical form given the body of the hickey, the outer end thereof meets and is adapted for connection with the wire-carrying tube 3 of the fixture, as shown.

The application, operation, and many important advantages of my invention, will be apparent from the foregoing description.

Having, therefore, described my invention, I claim:

In. an electric light fixture, a socketed insulating-joint, and a hickey having a frustoconical body portion reduced at the smaller end to form an annular shoulder thereon, the said hickey being split from the smaller end thereof throughout a portion of its length for the passage of wires, and having the split end threaded in the socket of the insulating-joint to a depth determined by the annular shoulder thereon.

WILLIAM J GEN CHERRY.

W. S. DOONER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents.

Washington, I). G. 

